In this painting the Apostle appears to be journeying alone, althoughatthattimeitwascustomary to travel in groups for reasonsofsafety.Theartistmay have intended this aloneness to emphasize the moral weight of Paul’s responsibility for the churches.Thewalkingstickthathewieldstosecurehissteponthe roughterrain can also be seen asashepherd’sstaff, in Christian iconographyasymbolfortheofficeofabishop,whose responsibilityisto tend, guide, protect, andleadGod’speopleafterthemannerofJesus, whoidentifiedhimselfastheGoodShepherd.

ThecitiesPaulvisitsonhistravelsarelarge,thrivingcentersof commercewithsizablepopulations.Inthem,ancientmyths,history, andculturehavebuiltupovertime.Citiesareconnectedbyavastsystem of roads and waterways that allow for trade but also serve as conduitsfortheexchangeofideasandinformation.Thisisespeciallytrue of cities with ports and shipping routes that brought speed to travel for aworldalreadydemandingconnectedness. Antioch, forexample, built neartheMediterraneancoastinwhatistodaysoutheasternTurkey,was suchacity. Thessalonica,inGreece,wasalsoamajorportcity,while Corinth is strategically located on an isthmus that connects the northernandsouthernportionsofGreece,withtheAdriaticSeaononeside andtheAegeanSeaontheother.

Establishedasitwasintheancientworld,travelhadmanysetbacks. It does not take much imagination to understand how hazardous Paul’s longjourneyswere.ThedangersheencounteredbyseaarewellrecordedbyPaul:“[T]hreetimesIwasshipwrecked—adayandanightI spentoutonthedeep!”(2Cor11:25).Becausewaterwaysdependedon goodweatherfornavigation,shipsdidnotsailduringtheinclement wintermonths.

TheActsoftheApostleschroniclesPaul’sjourneys,dividingthem intothreeapostolictripsandafinaljourneytoRomewhileunderarrest tostandtrialbeforeCaesar.Thefirstjourneyisnarratedinchapters13 and14ofActs;thesecondisfoundinActs15:36–18:22;andthethird isrecountedinActs18:23–21:16. Paul’sfinaltriptoRometakesplace inActs21:15–28:31. However, nogeneralconsensusexistsamong Paulinescholarsonwhethertheapostolicjourneysactuallyfollowedthe itineraryfoundinActs.InhislettersPaulneverreferstohisjourneysas anorganizedplanofaction,nordoesheitemizehisvarioustravels. Nevertheless,accordingtoPaulinescholars,theframeworkofthetrips as described in Acts does serve as background information for studying thefar-reachingextentofPaul’sinfluence.TheApostlegivesusnohint regardingthetimeittooktotravelfromcitytocity.FromActswecan approximate how long he stayed in certain places but not the timetable forthelongmilesinbetween.Wewhotraveltodayinspeedandcomfort may fail to recognize Paul’s commitment of time and personal abnegationintravelingbyfootfromplacetoplace.

What drove Paul onward in his journeys despite fatigue and the hardships of travel? It was his conviction that the Gospel was of divine origin,ashetoldtheGalatians:“...thegoodnewsIproclaimedisnot ahumangospel,forIdidn’treceiveitfromamannorwasItaughtit— IreceiveditthrougharevelationofJesusChrist” (Gal1:11–12). And sohewasdrivenbyaninnerurgencytoshare,toyellout,totellothers theGoodNews.